HULTGREN wrote:
>> Come on up to Mt. Shasta and check out the piles of shit these gentle human
> walkers leave in the wilderness area.
> Cattle allotments are rigidly controlled. It they start making serious
> erosion (or other) problems, the local Range Officer says bring 'em in for
> the year. He also says when to let them out. These permits are reviewed
> every 10 years, and get pretty tough scrutiny up here. And of course the
> local enviros summarily appeal all the EA's for the allotments.
>> There ain't all that much grass up in the mountains. And once you stop a
> rancher from grazing for a few years, they're sunk. Because you need to have
> the older cows show the younger cows how-and-where to get food, and
> generally survive. The cows actually graze for only about 4 months, max,
> around here. They go back home to the ranches for the fall-winter-spring.
>> And what is "Fair Market Value"? You must compare apples with apples. Is the
> value being proposed includes greater forage production, cross fencing,
> handy watering troughs, easy drive-up access for supervision...
>> I can put you in touch with some ranchers that graze on public allotments if
> you'd like to learn something. Let's see how your knowledge of the issues
> squares with theirs? How about it????
>
As a part owner of the National Forests, I vote to get the cattle out. I
don't have to explain my opinion scientifically, no more than a private
forest owner has to prove to me scientifically why he won't hire me to
manage his forest.
In much of the nation, farmers continue to go out of business and sell
off their cows. There is no need to have cattle on public land, and much
if not most of the public doesn't want it. That's a sufficiently fine
reason.